Lighter than Heir's setting is a fictional Germanic fantasy world. The story begins with a young volant girl named Zeppelin Von Schultheiss. She's the daughter of her country's greatest war hero, Hemmel Von Schultheiss. All of her life, she was surrounded by love from the public and the media due to her father's great accomplishments, but her own efforts always went overlooked.

With resentment for her father and an inflated ego, she signs up for the military on her 19th birthday in hopes to outshine her dad. Little does she know the military is the last place for a self-centered brat.

From its first update [May 24, 2011] til December 2012, the comic updated every Tuesday and Thursday. In December 2012, it started updating every Monday- Friday. However, due to the author's health complications, as of August 19th, 2013, the comic went down to Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Now, the comic updates every Tuesday and Friday at 1pmEST.

The Comic's History

The comic is loosely based on a novella I wrote in college about a volant named "Zeppelin" who resented her famous father. The novella's name was "The Fantastic Von Schultheiss," but the name didn't really sound good as a comic. During a conversation, the title "Lighter than Heir" was pitched by my friend Noah and that's how we got the name. Thanks, dude!

About the Authors

My name is Mel, aka nalem, I'm a college graduate originally from New York City. I moved out west in 2006 and received my BFA from Thomas More University in Spring 2011. Now, I spend my free time drawing to my heart's content. I love drawing, comics, drawing comics, cartoons, drawing cartoons, baby animals, chocolate, and hand puppets.

You can find me in other places too!

Pale Dog Studios: A business/project hub I co-run with my partner, Spanio. You can watch our cartoons, read our comics, and it updates regularly! Lots of fun, all the time!Happy Lifetime: Part autobiographical. Part not. All silly. Happy Lifetime is contrived of usually "on the whim" comics I update from time to time.Nalem TOONS-Youtube Channel: On top of webcomics, I also animate cartoons! I tend to focus more on comics, so I don't update this as much as I wish I did. Subscribe to keep yourself well informed!Twitter: I use this for project updates, communication, and random rants about pop culture. DeviantArt: I almost never use this anymore, but it has old art you're welcome to look at!Nalem@Newgrounds: A collective of my flash cartoons, some older/not found on my Youtube Channel. Watch with discretion!NalemArt.com on Tumblr: My art blog! I use this very often.

Spanio is the other half to Pale Dog Studios and the co-writer writer (as of November 2013) of Lighter than Heir!

He loves to write stories, tell jokes, watch movies, play video games, and to travel.

Bittersweet Candy Bowl- It's loaded with great characters, an intriguing story, lots of drama, and the cutest art!Octopus Pie- A great comic with hipsters, comedy, drama, and some great characters. It takes place in Brooklyn, NY, and it makes me very homesick. [ENDED]Darwin Carmichael is Going to Hell-Another Brooklyn based comic where people, deities, and supernatural creatures live together. [ENDED]Curvy [NSFW]- Hilarious, sexy, what more do you need? [ENDED]Menage A 3 [NSFW]-Inspired by the antics of anime harems, Menage A 3 is a pure guilty pleasure.Johnny Wander- A sweet slice-of-life/journal comic that's bound to bring you joy.

DAR[NSFW]- Another journal comic which isn't always as happy as JW, but is a great read nonetheless [ENDED]Dumbing of Age- Comic vet David Willis's new comic series reimagining his preexisting characters in college. Lots of fun characters, tender moments, hilarity, and looooads of drama.

Sister Claire- Great comic by Yamino! Solanin - not a webcomic, but I wouldn't be the person I am today if I hadn't read it. It's the story of a 23 year old woman trying to figure out her place in this world.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the comic update?Tuesday and Friday!

How do you make the comic? I use a Fujitsu T730 Tablet PC custom made PC, a Yiynova MVP22U, and Clip Studio Paint EX to make the comics and illustrations. For my coloring, I use Adobe Photoshop CS6.

Are you German/do you speak German? I'm not/I don't, sorry.

Your German is incorrect. Thanks for telling me! If you could, drop me an email with the correction and the page number and I'll go change it! I've been teaching myself for the story so I'm no pro. I would greatly appreciate it!

You used the word "Schadenfraude" incorrectly on page 42.This is one usage of German that's used more like a silly interjection. Think like the "Team Girl Squad" usage of ARROWED.

The military knowledge/procedures are incorrect.When the comic first started, it was more of a comedic parody of the military. As it's progressed, the trajectory of the comic's tone has shifted to a more serious one. The comic's a work in progress and we strive to improve all the time! Thanks for reading, your input, and support!

I like your art! Do you take commissions? Thanks! And yes, I do! If you're interested, email me at nalem29@gmail.com!